June 04, 2007 Serious About Online Marketing? You’re in the Database Business. 
I'll take this one step further - Every company serious about marketing online --every company serious about marketing-- is in the database business.
If your web site already does any of the following for you, stop reading, you get it. If not, get in touch.
- Reduces costs and automates sales efforts by qualifying prospects who contact you online.
- Offers added value to users who take the time, and trust you, to create an account and set a password, allowing you to build profiles and track behavior.
- Engages customers and values their opinions, making them a valuable part of your business development or R & D.
- Asks smart questions that allow you to segment your userbase and tailor your messaging, providing them added value, and you higher click-through rates.
This is about Return On Investment. This is about moving beyond brochureware. This is something many of you are still not doing. Common thinking seems to be, "I can't not have a web site. I can't not have my name on the web, and not appear in Google, and not have a Contact Us form on the site." That's just not enough. The web needs to be a part of your business, at the core of your marketing operations, customer support, and sales efforts.
Take your business seriously? Let's take your customer database seriously.
* O'Reilly was actually talking about database technology and software development, whereas I'm talking about marketing platforms. The point remains: You need a database powering your site.
